Harvest c. 1940 - 1945

Lucille Jeffries created this image, Harvest, with lines – I’m guessing it's a print - and I think that the medium is key. It's all about the mark making: short, regular strokes that build up areas of tone. You can see these marks clearly in the huge hay bales, the shapes are softened by the lines which are all parallel and give a sense of form. The whole thing is consistent and methodical, and gives the image it's striking graphic quality. Look how the lines work together, building up the textures of the foliage and the fields. The darks and lights create an atmospheric perspective, pulling you into the scene. Maybe the evenness reminds me a little of Agnes Martin's grids. Even with this rigidity, Jeffries still captures the abundance of the harvest, the culmination of a process, echoing the artistic process itself. There is something hopeful in that.